11:21 PM,
Mar. 14, 2013

California state Sen. Leland Yee: 'The gun debate has been the toughest, most gut-wrenching issue out there.'

Written by

Chuck Raasch
| USA Today

Legislative debates over gun rights, up significantly since the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., have spurred death threats resulting in two high-profile arrests and causing lawmakers in one state to declare their legislature was under attack.

"I don't think the general public understands the threats public officials can get over gun debates," said California state Sen. Leland Yee, a San Francisco Democrat who was the recipient of alleged death threats that resulted in the arrest of a Silicon Valley engineer named Everett Basham.